If you know any avid divers who have been to Belize, do not ask them about it unless you have a few hours…you will not be able to shut them up.
Belize is in fact a tiny country, but not if you include the underwater wonderland that is adjacent to it. Then, at least in dive terms, it’s one of the largest countries in the world! Belize has everything you want in a tropical escape, but when it comes to the diving and the saltwater fly fishing, it is among the best in the world.
Though it’s probably smaller in total square miles of real estate than some counties in Texas, Belize offers more dive opportunities than you could possibly experience in a year.
With a bewildering array of big walls, barrier reef, open water atolls and islands, and plenty of sharks of all types, the fact is, diving just may be Belize’s biggest growth industry besides real estate. From coral gardens and stunning parrotfish to giant whale sharks, it’s all here, even for two-tank veteran divers who seek longer outings.
Unlike some Caribbean countries and most of Central America, you can dive year-round in Belize, right through the rainy season.
A few top places to let the air outta your tanks:
-Plancencia: According to Destination 360, which says the beaches at Placencia are the best beaches in Belize, this is perhaps the best spot to dive and relax on the playa. With way fewer people than Ambergris, you probably won’t see other divers in the water, either. The big draws here are Glover’s Reef and Gladden Spit. Southwater Caye and Tobacco Caye are also popular spots to jump off from Plancencia and connect with dive operators. Placencia is full of world heritage dive sites that have bewildering diversity, and the slightly more nutrient rich waters here compared to the super-clear north support more animals like the whale shark, which is widely regarded as being more likely to be encountered here than the rest of the country…and maybe the world. Brian Young of Seahorse Dive Shop has led expeditions for the Discovery Channel and CNN out of Placencia, and he and his divers log the migrations; May and June are peak times.
-Blue Hole: This famed limestone sinkhole has been a diving legend at the Lighthouse Reef atoll site since it’s exposure in the ’70s by none other than Jaques Cousteau. The Blue Hole is right in the middle of the reef and is over 300 feet wide and 400 feet deep, offering an ethereal experience of solemnity amid a world of great clarity, zero gravity and bathed in blue light. Cave-like stalactites appear as you go deeper into the abyss, and the water grows clearer as you descend. The Blue Hole is also a great jump off point for many other dives along the barrier reef.
-Ambergris, Caye Caulker: Plenty of resorts make this a popular dive central for most tourists, who exploit it’s convenience to Belize’s renown barrier reef. The reef swings in within just a mile or less of Ambergris and the waters here are extraordinarily clear, stingrays and sharks abound, and the Turneffe Islands are accessible. Coral pinnacles, grouper, lobster, angelfish, nurse sharks and eels are plentiful, as well as loggerheads.
-Hopkins Bay, Hamanasi: A renowned outfit and dive resort here, Hamanasi is a highly regarded jump off point to explore the world of the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef in particular, though the pro staff here branch out all the way to Lighthouse Reef and the Blue Hole as well. Turneffe Islands Atoll, The Elbow, Half Moon Caye, South Water Caye, Elsie’s Aquarium, Trick Ridge, Hell Hole, and The Abyss are all reached from here. Hamanasi also runs whale shark specific trips when the gentle giants congregate to feast on the spawn of the reefs snapper schools.
So tell your boss, spouse or whomever you need to that you’re taking them to Belize to relax, see the beaches and/or look at real estate…but get down here for the diving.
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